Monthly Archives: March 2011

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KLRU Q will begin Q Night at the Movies starting April 2 and we want you to choose our first feature film.

Classic films, local commentary, new short films and reviews will all be part of this new Saturday night lineup designed just for Austin. Choose between Bonnie and Clyde, Doctor Zhivago and The Entertainer. Vote here

Film descriptions
Bonnie and Clyde: Acclaimed account of the gun-toting bank robbers (Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway) and the trail of terror they blazed through the Southwest in the ’30s.

Doctor Zhivago: Boris Pasternak’s story of a poet/doctor (Omar Sharif), his wife (Geraldine Chaplin) and his lover (Julie Christie) unfolds during the Russian Revolution.

The Entertainer: British song-and-dance man Archie (Laurence Olivier) knows he’s a failure, and so does his alcoholic wife (Brenda de Banzie).

Your feedback is important to us. For instance, you said that you wanted more days of uninterrupted programming; we responded by cutting seven days from our March Fundraising Drive, making your support more important than ever.

We have received a number of comments from viewers via Twitter and Facebook this week, requesting that we air a special from Houston PBS called, The Gifts of Imperfection: Living with Courage, Compassion and Connection. Because of your enthusiasm (and because it’s also a really great program!) The Gifts of Imperfection will air this weekend, on both Saturday and Sunday.

As always, we also ask our viewers to choose the schedule for the final weekend of our March Fundraising Drive. The results are in, and we’re happy to announce our lineup for the upcoming weekend:

In just eleven days, KLRU-TV, Austin’s PBS has raised over $208,000 towards our March fundraising goal. Thanks to everyone who has contributed online, over the phone, or through the mail – your support makes everything we do throughout the year, on TV and beyond, possible. Give your gift now.

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, reflects, celebrates and inspires Central Texas through creative excellence, community engagement and lifelong learning. In addition to providing locally produced and quality national television programming, KLRU is also a non-profit organization helping to build a stronger community through educational workshops, community engagement projects and public events.

The KLRU Community Advisory Board is composed of up to 30 individuals who reflect the diverse interests, concerns, organizations, issues and populations of the Central Texas community. The CAB helps guide KLRU in a variety of ways. Membership in the CAB is open to anyone who lives in the designated market area for KLRU and who has demonstrated an interest in KLRU. Members are selected by the existing CAB after being nominated by the staff, or the CAB, or they may nominate themselves. The role of the CAB is to provide a link between the community-at-large and the staff of KLRU. Members elected to the CAB commit to serve a two-year term.

The duties of the CAB are:

* Act as a liaison between KLRU and the community.

* Raise community awareness about KLRU, its programming and its services.

* Advise KLRU on issues of importance in the community where KLRU may have an impact.

* Encourage community involvement in KLRU projects, activities.

* Ensure that the content of the programming reflects the community.

We are currently accepting applications for consideration of membership to CAB. Applications should be submitted by April 15, 2011 and will be reviewed by the CAB Nominating Committee. The election of new members will occur at the regularly scheduled CAB meeting on August 17, 2011.

Classics were recreated and relived as iconic singer-songwriters Carole King and James Taylor reunited in 2007 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Los Angeles club The Troubador on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Masterpiece Classic at 8 p.m. Sunday presents part four of Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes‘ “Downtown Abbey”, a depiction of the lives of the noble Crawley family and the staff who serve them, set at their Edwardian country house in 1912.

From the Beatles’ American television debut to the Doors’ infamous one-time-only appearance, Ed Sullivan’s Rock N’ Roll Classics at 10 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday presents enchanting full-length performances from great musical acts of the 1960s.

In the uplifting and entertaining documentary “ADD and Loving It” at 9 p.m. Monday, actor Patrick McKenna is after the truth: “Everything you think you know about ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is wrong.”

Rick Steves brings European art and history to life while keeping viewers up-to-speed on breaking developments in Europe’s ethnic diversity and investment in its infrastructure on “Rick Steves’ European Insights” at 10:30 p.m. Monday and 10 p.m. Thursday.

Rock and pop legends Jon “Bowzer” Bauman and Ronnie Spector bring back the best songs from the late 1950s and early 1960′s rock, pop and doo wop era in the all new My Music concert event “Rock, Pop and Doo Wop” at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“Best of Laugh-In” at 9 p.m. Tuesday presents archival clips and memorable moments from the 1960’s NBC comedy-variety program that changed television and became an important training ground for a generation of young writers and comic talent.

Rick Steves highlights the quintessential experiences of European travel as he journeys through Scandinavia, Spain, and Bosnia on “Rick Steves’ Europe with Abandon!” at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

American Masters at 7 p.m. Wednesday chronicles the rise of a new breed of musicians in the 1960s Los Angeles whose raw emotions and simple instrumentation bridged the gap between singers and the songs they wrote in “Troubadors: Carole King/James Taylor & The Rise”.

Based on her upcoming new book that will be released concurrently with the show premiere, “Suze Orman’s Money Class” at 9 p.m. Wednesday will reveal Suze’s expert take on what actions people need to take in light of the new economy.

Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan in Session at 7 p.m. Thursday presents the legendary live jam session by two of the arguably greatest musicians ever to have played the blues on electric guitar.

Join Jeff Beck and his special guests as they play tribute to the legendary Rock n’ Roll guitarist Les Paul in New York City, filmed on what was to be his 95th birthday, on “Jeff Beck Honors Les Paul” at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Actor Bill Paxton discusses his career on Overheard with Evan Smith at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Great Performances at 9 p.m. Friday presents an all-star celebration from the Mandalay Bay arena in Las Vegas featuring chart-topping stars and music from14-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter David Foster’s extensive career catalog on “Hitman Returns: David Foster and Friends”.

Discover the facts and legends behind the wildflowers that captivate us every spring!

Why do we always see picturesque cattle among bluebonnets? Where did Indian blanket get its name? How did Native Americans and settling pioneers use wildflowers for food, medicinal cures, and to create distinctive tattoos? How are they being used today to cure cancer? Why are some years better than others?

Go beyond the pretty faces to explore how wildflowers impact our food chain and their symbiosis to a healthy economy and ecological security. Wildflowers | Seeds of History features interviews with horticulturists and botanists, along with tales from Luci Johnson about her mother’s futuristic revelation to Go Green, and even words from the White House with the First Lady. Meet Lady Bird Johnson’s granddaughter, Jennifer Robb, to learn why she champions her grandmother’s goal for the next generation.

Shot in breath-taking high definition video in the stellar wildflower season of spring 2010, travel the back roads of history that forecast the seeds of the future.

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, announced today that Tom Gimbel has joined the
staff as General Manager for Austin City Limits (ACL). Gimbel brings 20
years of major and independent label sales and marketing experience to
the public broadcasting station which produces the long-running music
show for PBS. Gimbel’s diverse experience ranges from artist management
to major label executive holding senior positions in both sales and
marketing.

“This is a newly created position that results from Austin City Limits
increased growth over the last few years,” said Bill Stotesbery, CEO and
GM of KLRU. “Tom’s strong entrepreneurial and management experience in
the music business and his connection to Austin make him an ideal
candidate to help take Austin City Limits to the next stage.”

Most recently, Gimbel founded and ran Clatterhead, a social media
advertising and marketing company, and was founder and president of High
Wire Management, an independent management, label services, and music
distribution company with a roster of more than 20 client artists. He
has represented musician and artist Daniel Johnston for nearly 20 years
and recently has worked with Seattle-based Motopony.

“I’m very excited to be stepping into the newly created role as General
Manager of Austin City Limits,” said Gimbel. “When I first came to
Austin nearly 24 years ago, I was an aspiring musician who wanted to be
a part of the creative community and the spirit that was embodied every
week on Austin City Limits. It wasn’t long after I came to town that I
realized that my talents were far better suited for the industry than
for the stage. My music industry career path led me away from Austin
for over 10 years. While I truly enjoyed my time in the New York area as
an executive at Arista Records it was great to be able to come home to
Austin when I founded High Wire Music in 2005.”

While at Arista Records, Gimbel supervised successful sales and
marketing campaigns for Carlos Santana, Whitney Houston, Outkast, and
Sarah McLachlan generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue
and multiple Grammy Awards. Additionally, he has developed several
NARM Award winning campaigns for new product development in
music retail stores.

Gimbel will oversee business development, production and digital
strategies for Austin City Limits.

“I think Austin City Limits is uniquely positioned as an established
brand that represents the highest quality of the broadcast, recorded,
and live music experience. I look forward to guiding this iconic brand
to new and exciting heights in the future,” said Gimbel.

About AUSTIN CITY LIMITS:
Accomplishing what no other show has done in the history of American
television, the series has, for more than three decades, presented
audiences with the most diverse, original, cutting-edge talent music has
to offer. ACL airs nationally on 97% of the country’s PBS stations. In
addition to being broadcast on PBS, select AUSTIN CITY LIMITS episodes
are available to view online and on DVDs. More information can be found
at austincitylimits.org. After 36 years taping shows in the historic
KLRU Studio 6A, in 2011, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS moves to the new ACL Live at
the Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Produced by KLRU-TV, funding for
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS is provided in part by AMD, Budweiser, the Austin
Convention Center Department and its newest supporter, Dell. Additional
funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits.

About KLRU
KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, reflects, celebrates and inspires Central Texas
through creative excellence, community engagement and lifelong learning.
In addition to providing locally produced and quality national
television programming, KLRU is also a non-profit organization helping
to build a stronger community through educational workshops, community
engagement projects and public events. Known as the producing station of
the longest-running live music television show AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, KLRU
has also worked on several other national productions including the
documentaries CITIZEN ARCHITECT and LAST BEST HOPE. Get more information about KLRU at klru.org.

KLRU has a commitment to presenting the arts to Austin. As part of this commitment we team up with local arts organizations to bring you television programs like In Context and online arts features on KLRU Collective. We also bring you the best of performance art from PBS with Great Performances and Live from Lincoln Center.

Today, we’re teaming up with Texas Performing Arts to bring you tickets to a live performance of Eighth Blackbird: Slide with Rinde Eckert and Steve Mackey, an evening of unconventional musical theater, on March 23, at 8 p.m. at the McCullough Theatre. Tickets are on sale now at texasperfomingarts.org. Post a comment and you will entered into a drawing to win two tickets to this event. The winner will be chosen at random on March 21st.

Slide is a concert-length music/theater work featuring new-music ensemble eighth blackbird, librettist/actor/singer Rinde Eckert, and composer/performer Steve Mackey. Eckert plays Renard, an enigmatic psychologist who struggles to describe an experiment examining reactions to in- and out-of-focus slides. The results reveal that our decisions are based on habits or conventions that make it difficult for us to see clearly. Mackey and eighth blackbird also take onstage roles, resulting in an unmediated exploration and expression of sound, text, movement, and image.

Slide is directed by Mark DeChiazza, who conceived and directed eighth blackbird’s centennial production of Pierrot Lunaire and previously worked with the ensemble and choreographer Susan Marshall on singing in the dead of night.

Bill Keller’s career with the Times has stretched for more than 25 years, spanning a period of great change in the industry and the world. Keller began his career with the Times in 1984 as a Washington-based correspondent. He later served as bureau chief in Moscow, winning a Pulitzer in 1989 for his coverage of the Soviet Union. After that assignment, Keller became chief of the Johannesburg bureau. He followed that with time as foreign editor and managing editor before his 2003 appointment as executive editor.

Overheard with Evan Smith updates the successful formula of our award-winning series Texas Monthly Talks – great conversation with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor. The new show brings you the same mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and more, and is available to PBS stations nationwide.Overheard airs on KLRU at 7 p.m. Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Fridays and 12:30 p.m. Sundays. Episodes are also available online at klru.org/overheard

Wyatt Cenac’s reports for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart have introduced his work to a wide audience. But his work reaches far beyond his role as a fake news writer and correspondent. His performance in the 2008 indie film Medicine for Melancholy, a drama, was well-reviewed. And fans can also find him doing standup on tour and in a soon-to-be released hour-long special.

Overheard with Evan Smith updates the successful formula of our award-winning series Texas Monthly Talks – great conversation with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor. The new show brings you the same mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and more, and is available to PBS stations nationwide.Overheard airs on KLRU at 7 p.m. Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Fridays and 12:30 p.m. Sundays. Episodes are also available online at klru.org/overheard